3 quick, last-minute ways to optimize your site for a better holiday season

If you’re like me, it seems like the month of December came especially quickly this year. December is a busy month of budget talks, planning for the new year and, most of all, holiday sales. It’s easy to get tunnel vision this time of year and just barrel through until spring. Whether or not you feel like you were prepared for the holiday sales season, there are still a few simple (but often overlooked) tactics that can make a big impact on your customer experience.

1. Simplify your online forms
We know that online forms cause many users drop off or abandon their carts, so how can you improve your forms this season? Simplify the experience. Are there optional fields you can slim down on? Can you navigate the user through three pages, rather than five? Walk through your form experience and identify places where your visitors might feel frustrated or confused.

2. Monitor your exit pages
Your site’s exit page rates send good signals that site visitors aren’t engaging with your site content, or that they aren’t finding what they’re looking for. Google’s behavior flow tool is an easy way to get a high-level overview of how visitors are navigating your site, and where they’re dropping off.
Is the exit percentage on your homepage unusually high? Experiment with new CTAs or feature different content and products your customers may be looking for.
Are users dropping off of your FAQ page before clicking into a specific article? Maybe they’re not finding the question they’re looking for. Find out which FAQs are the most visited, and feature them front-and-center, or make your FAQ index and search easier to use.

3. Get insights from a customer survey
If you aren’t already, offer a brief survey that gives customers the chance to talk about their experience in their own words. Not only will you get the chance to get good feedback straight from the source, it gives you perspective on pain points you may not have thought of. Tools like SurveyMonkey offer budget-friendly survey templates that you can use on your site, email or social.

Even if you feel like you missed the boat on holiday planning this year, even little changes on your site can lead to bigger results. Looking for more tips or have a few ideas that I missed? Let me know on Twitter, or shoot us an email.